There were three Royal Tombs that I particularly wanted to visit, and they are all slightly outside of Hue. During our time in Hoi An we’d had a trip and event cancelled due to the Covid 19 virus, so realised that we needed to organise things privately. Surprisingly, that option turned out to be less expensive anyway.  Our great AirBnb […]

Vietnam. Hue. The Royal Tombs.Read More »

The Imperial City in Hue was only a 20 minute walk from our AirBnb but as it was very sunny, hot and extremely humid I think it took us quite a bit longer as we walked fairly slowly.  Once there, we spent a long time in the shade and enjoyed being there with hardly anyone else around. Being a major […]

Vietnam. Hue. The Imperial City.Read More »

Our very efficient and friendly AirBnb host at our next destination (Hue) booked a private car to pick us up in Hoi An and take us to Hue. We specifically wanted to go the long way round via the Hai Van Pass and we also wanted the option of stopping to take photos, so a private driver was the best […]

Vietnam. Hoi An to Hue.Read More »

A short flight down from Hanoi to Da Nang, another efficient pick up, an hour long transfer, and we arrived in Hoi An.  We’d booked a beautiful looking Air Bnb about 15 minutes stroll away from the main areas, and were certainly not disappointed.  For a cost of £23 per person per night it was incredible value.  Two double bedrooms, […]

Vietnam. Hoi An. The land of lanterns.Read More »

Rather a sobering start to this post I’m afraid, but an important and interesting part of Vietnam’s history.  We paid a visit to Hỏa Lò Prison. The prison was built by the French, when Vietnam was still part of French Indochina. It was intended to hold Vietnamese prisoners, particularly political prisoners agitating for independence, and they were often subject to […]

Vietnam. Hanoi. A prison, a temple, a mausoleum and a palace.Read More »

Over a year ago myself and my best friend Judith started planning a special trip to celebrate our milestone birthdays. We’re the same age as we met at school many many years ago, but have never had a holiday together. We decided to have an adventure to a country that neither of us have been to before, and after plenty […]

Vietnam. Hanoi. Train Street.Read More »

Zanzibar. Part 3.

Whilst walking along the beach late one afternoon I saw several small fires in the distance. As I got closer it looked as if several boats were being burned. It took a while to work out that they use this method to get rid of the algae, and because the wood is so hard, the whole thing doesn’t go up […]

Zanzibar. Part 3.Read More »